MS Antares

Sailing the Nile on MS Antares

MS Antares sails the Nile from Luxor — the Egyptian city that sits at the heart of the country’s greatest concentration of ancient monuments. Launched in 2018, she is built for this river specifically: at 62 guests she is small enough to feel private, and with 75 crew she carries more staff than passengers, which shows in every detail of the service. Her single sailing currently on sale is a 7-night round trip departing from Luxor, returning to Luxor — a self-contained week on the water, with the temples and monuments of Upper Egypt on either bank.

Because Luxor is a destination Australians fly to rather than drive from, the cruise naturally sits inside a wider Egypt trip. CruiseAway arranges the flights, the hotel nights either side and the transfers as one holiday — the cruise is the centrepiece, and we build everything around it. That is what our DreamAway Packages are for, and our cruise experts know these sailings in detail.

On board MS Antares

For a ship of 62 guests, MS Antares carries a considered set of spaces. The dining, the social areas and the deck all lean toward the river — the whole point of being here is what is outside, and the ship is designed to frame it.

• Aquavit Terrace® — an al fresco dining space for breakfast and lunch, open to all guests and included in the fare. The position is ideal: meals taken at the rail while riverbanks and temple pylons drift past.
• Lounge — the main social space, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Nile. Bar drinks are charged individually unless a package has been booked; the room itself is open to everyone.
• Sun Deck — the top deck offers 360-degree views and a Walking Track for a morning circuit above the river. Access is restricted during canal passages and under low bridges for safety.
• Library — a curated book collection in a quiet corner of the ship, included for all guests. Useful before a temple visit or useful after one.
• Herb Garden — a small working garden on board, where fresh herbs are grown and harvested daily for the galley. It is a detail that speaks to the care Viking puts into the food.

Cabins and suites

MS Antares offers six cabin grades across two families — two balcony grades and four suite grades. The suite grades share a pair of notable features: they are 50% larger than the standard French Balcony D grade, and each has a French balcony with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open the room directly to the river without stepping outside. The full breakdown of grades, sizes and deck positions is on the MS Antares cabins and deck plans page, which is where cabin selection happens.

What the Viking River Fare includes

MS Antares sails on the Viking River Fare, which bundles a meaningful set of inclusions into the base price. Every port comes with a complimentary shore excursion; onboard dining uses regional specialities throughout; beer, wine and soft drinks are included at lunch and dinner; and coffee, tea and bottled water are available around the clock. Wi-Fi is free, and UNESCO site visits are covered. For a Nile itinerary built around ancient monuments, the shore excursion inclusion is particularly significant — it means the temples are part of the fare, not an extra line on the bill.

Who MS Antares is built for

At 62 guests, MS Antares is an intimate ship by any measure. That scale suits travellers who want Egypt’s most famous monuments without the volume of a large tour group — the included shore excursions go to the same temples, but with a fraction of the guests. The crew-to-guest ratio, with 75 crew for 62 passengers, produces a standard of attentiveness that a larger vessel cannot match. If the idea of a week on the Nile, with every shore visit and every meal built in, appeals more than a resort ship — this is the right scale.

Viking River Cruises’ wider fleet

Viking River Cruises currently has 30 ships on sale through CruiseAway. MS Antares is the line’s Nile specialist; the rest of the fleet divides by waterway:

Rhine River, Europe
Viking Idi, Viking Alsvin, Viking Gefjon, Viking Gersemi, Viking Hervor, Viking Annar, Viking Dagur, Viking Sigrun, Viking Haki, Viking Hlin, Viking Hild, Viking Sigyn, Viking Herja, Viking Mimir, Viking Egdir

Danube River, Europe
Viking Eldir, Viking Vali, Viking Rota, Viking Lif, Viking Vidar, Viking Honir, Viking Gullveig, Viking Embla, Viking Aegir, Viking Baldur

Transatlantic
Viking Vela (no page yet), Viking Astrea, Viking Lyra

Western Mediterranean
Viking Libra

Also in the fleet
Viking Mississippi

Booking MS Antares with CruiseAway

CruiseAway’s Best Price Guarantee applies to MS Antares sailings, and our cruise experts know the Viking River Fare and its inclusions in detail — they can match the right cabin grade to what you are looking for. Because every departure is from Luxor, most Australian travellers will want flights and hotel nights on either side of the cruise. Our DreamAway Packages put all of that — the cruise, the flights, the hotels and the transfers — on one booking, shaped to your itinerary. Whatever you choose, we help you pick the cabin grade and fare inclusions that suit your circumstances.

Questions about MS Antares and the Nile

How many guests does MS Antares carry?

MS Antares carries 62 guests, served by a crew of 75. That ratio — more crew than passengers — is unusual and shapes the whole experience: service is attentive and the ship never feels crowded, even in the communal spaces.

Are the shore excursions in Egypt included in the fare?

Yes. The Viking River Fare includes a complimentary shore excursion at every port. On a Nile itinerary, that covers the temples and monuments that are the whole reason for being on the river. UNESCO site visits are also covered. Bar drinks at the Lounge carry an individual charge unless a drinks package has been added.

What is the Sun Deck like, and when is it closed?

The Sun Deck runs the full width of the ship at the top and gives 360-degree views of the Nile and its banks, with a Walking Track for anyone who wants to stay active. Access is restricted during canal passages and when the ship passes under low bridges — standard safety practice on river ships — but for most of a Nile sailing the deck is open.

Can CruiseAway arrange the flights and hotels around the cruise?

Yes — that is exactly what our DreamAway Packages are built for. Luxor is a destination Australians fly to, so the cruise fits naturally into a wider Egypt trip. We arrange the international flights, the hotel nights before or after the sailing, and all transfers as one booking alongside the cruise itself. Our cruise experts handle the detail so that the whole journey is confirmed in one place.

Is MS Antares suitable for a first river cruise?

MS Antares is a good introduction to river cruising precisely because it is built around a single, coherent destination. The Nile is the journey — every sailing revolves around the monuments of Upper Egypt — and the ship’s small scale means nothing feels overwhelming. The included shore excursions remove the planning that can otherwise make a new itinerary feel complicated, and the high crew ratio means there is always someone to help.